Improvement in refrigerators



. BATE.

. Refrigerators. No.156,269."

Patented Oct. 21,1874;

.To all whom it mag concern:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

' JOHN J. BATE, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

' V IMPROVEMENT |N REFR|GERATQR$.

' I j j Specification forming part of Letters Patent No; 1553,2695 datedOctober 27, 1874; application filed a August'28, 1874".

' Be it known that I, JOHN J. BATE, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kingsand State of New York, have invented certain Improvements inRefrigerators, of which the following is a specification:

This invention comprises a self-feeding icereservoir closed at the topand on all sides,

but provided at bottom with inletand outlet air-passages nearly or quiteon the same level, i in combination with a fan-wheel or equivalent airforcing or exhausting apparatus, and a.

suitable refrigerating-chamber, closed against the access ofexternal-air. By this novel combination of parts the air is caused topass in a horizontal current through the lower part of the ice-reservoirto be suitably cooled thereby, the ice melted by the action of the saidcurrent being continually replaced by that fed downward from the closedupper part of the reservoir, so that the proper quantity of ice, neithermore nor less, is at all times brought in contact with the air-currentaforesaid to cool or refrigerate the chamber. This, moreover, inconjunction with the fact that the flow of air through the ice isdirectly dependent upon the fan-wheel or equivalent mechanical agency,causes the circulation of the air through the ice to the chamber, andconsequently the degree of its refrigeration bears a nearly-definiteratio to the power of the fan or the like, and may be regulated at willby varying the speed of the same.

The invention further comprises a novel combination of awarm-air-conducting pipe or passage and an ice-reservoir closed at topand at all sides, but provided at or near its bottom with inlet andoutlet openings for -the passage of a horizontal'air-current through thelower part of the reservoir,by which means the warmer air from theupperpart of the refrigerating-chamber is conveyed to the iuletopeningaforesaid, and the circulation of air throughout therefrigerating-chamber and an approximately-uniform temperature in allparts of the same are secured.

Figure 1 is a horizontal sectional view of a refrigerator made accordingto my invention, taken in the line of as w, Figs. 2 and 3. Fig. 2 is avertical section of the same, taken in the line .2 z of Fig. 1; and Fig.3 is a similar section taken in the line :1 y of Fig. 1

A is the refrigerating-chamber, containing the meat, fruit, vegetables,or other substances to be kept at a low temperature. B is theicereservoir, which, when in use, is to be filledto any requisite degreewith ice in blocks or fragments. ,This ice-chamber is closed at allparts except at bottom, where, near its two ends, it. is provided withtwo openings at a. and b. The

opening a is the air-inlet of the ice-reservoir, and b is the air-outletof the same, the current of air forced through the ice, as hereinaftermore fully set forth, being horizontal from a to b. Extending upwardfrom the opening a is a pipe, 0, the upper portion. of which is turnedto a horizontal'position across the upper part of the chamber A,preferably diagonally from onecorner to another. The upper or horizontalportion of this pipe is slotted at intervals along its length, as shownat a, to permit the ingress of the warmer air at the top of the chamberA, this warmer air being then conducted outside of and apart from theice-reservoir to the opening a at the bottom and one end of the saidreservoir, whence, by the means hereinafter set forth, it is drawnhorizontally through the bottom or lower part of the reservoir to theoutlet-opening b, as shown by the arrow in Fig. 1. The outletopening bis in communicationwith the case of a fan-wheel at D, from which extendsa distributing-pipe, F, laid upon or near the floor of the chamber, andprovided with slots f at intervals along its sides. Within this pipe F,suitably adjacent to the slots f, are fixed deflecting-plates, soarranged that the air forced through and from the pipe F will beprojected from the aforesaid slots f in jets or streams in variousdirections, and thus driven to all the lower portions of the chamber A.The pipe F is preferably arranged to extend diagonally from one cornerto another of the chamber.

In the operation of the apparatus the fanwheel D is set in motion by asmall watermotor or other suitable power, and draws the air through andfrom the pipe 0, horizontally through the lower portion of theice-reservoir, and thence through the case of the fan-wheel to the pipeF, through the slots f, provided with deflecting-plates c, as set forth,of which it is projected laterally in various directions throughout thelower portion of the chamber A, the warmer air being thus drawn from theupper portion of the chamber, passed to and through the ice in thebottom of the reservoir B, being thereby cooled or refrigerated to thedesired extent, and then in this cooled condition ejected to the chamberagain at or near the floor, a circulation of the cooled air being, bythis means, forcibly maintained throughout the entire chamber, the airat the upper part of the chamber, although warmer than that at the lowerpart, being kept at a temperature sufiiciently reduced to prevent itfrom having any effect detrimental to the contents of the chamber.Inasmuch as the air during its passage through the reservoir B can onlycome in contact with the ice in the lower part of the said reservoir,the ice in the upper part thereof being wholly out of contact with theair-current, it follows that the ice in said upper part forms, as itwere, a reserve, which, as fast as the ice in the lower portion melts,is caused to automatically descend, or be fed downward, to supply thewaste of ice below.

By this means the quantity of ice actually presented to the current ofair is always the same, and as there is thus no variation in thequantity of refrigerating material with which the air-current is broughtin contact, and as this current is entirely dependent upon the fan-wheelor equivalent mechanical agency, it follows that the velocity of thecurrent through the ice, consequently the degree of its refrigerationand the rapidity of its circulation through the chamber A, may bereadily regulated by aproper adjustment of the speed or working power ofthe fan or its equivalent.

' The water resulting from the melting of the ice may be conducted fromthe ice-reservoir by means of a suitable opening in the bottom of thelatter, or by a pipe leading to the street or to the sewer, or byanyother of the wellknown methods of permitting or insuring the outflow ofwaste water from the ice-reservoir of a refrigerating apparatus, suchoutlet being provided with the usual goose-neck or waterseal to preventthe inward passage of external air to the ice-reservoir.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. The combination of the self-feedingreservoir B, closed at top and at all sides, but provided at or near itsbottom with inlet and outlet openings 00 b, the fan-wheel or equivalentair-forcing mechanism D, and the refrigerating-chamber A, closed againstthe access of external air, substantially as and for the purpose setforth.

2. The slotted pipe 0, extended upward from the inlet-opening a, at ornear the bottom of the self-feeding ice-reservoir B, and across theupper part of the chamber A, in combination with the fan-wheel orequivalent air-forcing mechanism and the pipe F, extending from theoutlet-opening b of the aforesaid reservoir across the lower portion ofthe chamber, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

JOHN J. BATE.

Witnesses:

JAMES A. WHITNEY, W. M. EDWARDS.

